With financial support from BMW Manufacturing, and in a joint project with local leaders and the S.C. State Park Service, the historic bathhouse at Paris Mountain State Park has been renovated and re-opened as the new Park Center.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) originally built the 2,400-square-foot facility in the 1930s as a series of state parks emerged across South Carolina during the Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.

The renovation is the result of an effort that began in 2001 with a meeting between Leadership Greenville and the S.C. State Park Service.

The bathhouse was long used as a changing area and concessions building for swimmers and picnickers at the popular park. Now, to meet the changed needs of visitors, it will serve as the hub for all activities at Paris Mountain State Park, including registering campers, providing trail information, and interpretive programming on such topics as the aquatic environment in the mountainside park’s streams and ponds.

Leadership Greenville Class XXVII and the Friends of Paris Mountain raised $112,000 in private donations for the project and BMW Manufacturing donated an additional $100,000. In-kind donations included labor and architectural services from the Greenville Homebuilder’s Association and Pazdan-Smith Group.

Donations also were received for the Park Center’s planned interpretive exhibits, including $44,000 from Bi-Lo, $50,000 from the Greenville Water System and $50,000 from 3M.

When the bathhouse was built, the CCC used local materials, including American chestnut timbers and rocks excavated from the mountain and surrounding areas. A state historic preservation officer helped ensure the historical integrity of this renovation, which included replacing asphalt shingles with a wood shake roof. An exterior bathroom also has been added, while renovations inside include the addition of a classroom, park offices and exhibit space.

BMW Manufacturing Co., a subsidiary of the BMW Group based in Munich, Germany, is the exclusive manufacturer of the Z4 and M Roadster, Z4 and M Coupe in addition to the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle. Its website address is www.bmwusfactory.com. In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW’s North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America, and a design firm in California.